CHENNAI: VCK Villupuram MP D Ravikumar on Tuesday urged the Union government to raise the annual family income ceiling for eligibility under the post-matric scholarship scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh.

Raising the issue under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha, Ravikumar said the existing income ceiling has remained unchanged for several years despite inflation, leaving out a large number of students from SC and ST communities whose family income marginally exceeds the prescribed limit but who continue to face severe financial constraints in pursuing higher education.

He noted that the Union government has already fixed an annual family income ceiling of Rs 8 lakh for eligibility under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) reservation and the Other Backward Classes (OBC) non-creamy layer criteria. Adopting the same threshold for the post-matric scholarship scheme would enable more students from economically weaker backgrounds to access financial assistance and pursue their educational goals, he said.

Ravikumar said expanding the eligibility criteria would help reduce dropout rates and improve enrolment in higher education. He urged the Centre to revise the annual family income ceiling for the post-matric scholarship scheme for SC and ST students from the current Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh.